Firearms including exchangeable barrels and/or a variety of attachable accessories have been described in many publications. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,052,144 describes a weapon including a grenade launcher with drop barrel and shoulder support. In addition, U.S. Pat. No. 4,989,359 describes a weapon with an exchangeable barrel for shooting ammunition of various calibers. Furthermore, European Patent 1 069 394 B1, German Patent 44 33 627 A1, or U.S. Pat. No. 4,711,152 describe a weapon that includes an annular gap surrounding the barrel to accommodate electronic components on the outside of the barrel. Other such weapons are described in German Patent 42 14 059 A1, French Patent 2 840 398; European Patents 307 308 B1 and 0 800 050; and U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,142,442; 5,659,148; and 6,012,374 and the article titled “Future vision . . . ” in the magazine “Soldat und Technik” [Soldier and Technology], volume 44, No. 11, November 2001, pages 34-39.
Large-caliber handheld firearms often include auxiliary barrels having a significantly smaller caliber than the original barrel and are used for practice purposes. Drop barrel weapons are weapons that the barrel or the bundle of barrels can be exchanged for another barrel or another bundle of barrels. The ballistic performance of an exchangeable or interchangeable barrel can be better than that of the original barrel. The interchangeable barrel can have a telescopic sight because there is typically unrestricted space above the barrel. However, if an additional weapon(s) or additional weapon accessories are used, for example, rifle grenade equipment, the space that accommodates the barrel and any interchangeable barrel may be limited to the dimensions of the original barrel. The additional weapons may be, for example, rifle grenade equipment that is placed underneath of the barrel of, for example, an automatic pistol. If rifle grenade equipment is used as the additional weapon, the space that accommodates the barrel and any interchanged barrel is restricted.
The restricted space above the barrel in the above-described weapons also may affect the development of intelligent ammunition that can be fired in highly complicated weapons, such as so-called intelligent weapons. Intelligent weapons include may additional components requiring more space around the barrel. Further, the barrel in these intelligent weapons cannot be made of a material (e.g., iron or nickel, etc.) that would impair the transmission of magnetic impulses from an induction coil to the projectile.